(07-08-2014, 07:23 AM)crowmeleon Wrote: I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that it's human nature to want to be loved. But what makes us love someone in real life and what makes us love a character are two very different things. That in itself could spawn a discussion that would last a lifetime- But essentially, we're so trained to chase the former that it blinds us from the latter.Â
Sometimes it feels like everyone is so desperate to one-up each other in one way or a another that many of our characters are distorted into these hollow caricatures of once-poignant ideas buried under a sea of insecurity-spawned garbage. I know I'm guilty of it. And a lot of my personal goals as an rper at the moment revolve around overcoming it. So I really admire roleplayers who break that pattern and the beautiful characters they create.
And if I keep fighting for it, I'm sure I'll be one of them!
I agree with all of your post, but I wanted to add that I think that sometimes it can become a matter of expediency in the name of plot development or getting involved in this or the other thing rather than following the subtleties to their natural conclusions. That's what makes rp fun -- but also what makes it difficult. There is an element of randomness in rp that you won't find in other forms of storytelling or real life, because you're dependent on the ooc to meet up with the ic (I've had too many character arcs disrupted by the disappearance of other players
).But, otherwise, I agree that finding that sweet spot in character development is a sublime thing to see. Sure, I feel bad for characters often, but getting my heart to genuinely ache (in sorrow, happiness, or anywhere in between) for a character? That takes some doing, and as you said, is something I myself strive for. It's part of making the character believable, and that's no small feat.
